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The National Trademark Expo Set for October 15 and 16

If you are in the Washington, D.C., area on October 15 and 16, be sure to stop by the United States Patent and Trademark Office main campus in Alexandria, Va., for the USPTO’s third annual National Trademark Expo. The two-day event is designed to engage the public’s interest and educate consumers about the vital role trademarks play in the global economy. There will also be informational sessions for individuals and small business owners interested in learning about how to search for trademarks on the USPTO’s TESS Database as well as how to file trademark application via the Internet.

The National Trademark Expo is free and open to the public. The event is fun and educational for the entire family and will feature numerous costumed characters for well-recognized brands as well as a story time for children with storybook character participation. Exhibitors from around the country will tell their stories of how trademark intellectual property protection has helped their businesses grow. Take a tour through the displays that cover the evolution of particular trademarks over the past 100 years, how to tell counterfeit products from genuine articles and unusual trademarks that feature color schemes, sounds, characters, and product shapes, and other trademark factoids and trivia.

The National Trademark Expo will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, October 15 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 16 at 600 Dulany Street in Alexandria, Va.. The campus is a five-minute walk from the King Street Station Metrorail, which serves the blue and yellow lines. Off-street parking in the USPTO’s two parking garages on the east and west sides of the campus is also available.

While at the The National Trademark Expo, be sure to stop by the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame and Museum located on the first floor of the James Madison Building. The “Inventive Eats” exhibit features historical information about patents and trademarks related to food and food production. Admission to the museum is free.